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NYSC D-G Set To Sanction Recalcitrant Corps Members
The Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, yesterday, said he would not hesitate to sanction recalcitrant corps members according to the NYSC bye laws.
Ibrahim spoke at the swearing-in of the 2021 Batch ‘B’ set of corps members at the FCT Orientation Camp, Kubwa, Abuja.
Represented by NYSC Coordinator in the FCT, Mr Suleiman Abdul, the DG charged corps members to always be guided by the oath of allegiance they had taken.
“You must obey the law at all times; you must always be exemplary,” he declared.
The scheme was recently on the spotlight over the arrest of corps members by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
They were said to be involved in drug trafficking.
The director-general urged corps members to be of good conduct throughout the service year and comply with the NYSC rules and regulations.
“It is our ardent hope that you will keep up your good conduct throughout the exercise. You must comply strictly with all camp rules and regulations, and be obedient to your course officials.
“For the avoidance of doubt, we shall apply appropriate sanctions on recalcitrant corps members in line with the provisions of the NYSC Bye-Laws.
“The oath of allegiance, which you have just taken today, is solemn. I implore you to always find time to meditate over its spirit and letters and be guided by the same throughout the service year and beyond”, he said.
Ibrahim assured corps members of the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing unemployment through the introduction of policies and programmes.
The director-general, however, urged corps members to take advantage of the skills training opportunities offered by the scheme to prepare to be self-reliant and be employers of labour.
“Happily, the Federal Government and other stakeholders are leaving no stone unturned in the efforts to address this challenge as clearly demonstrated through various policies and programmes.
“As a scheme that is responsive to prevailing national needs, the NYSC is also assiduous in the implementation of its Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme.
“It is meant to prepare corps members for self-employment and wealth creation through vocational and entrepreneurship training.
“It will also link the corps members with financial institutions and other funding sources for business start-up funds.
“The SAED training will commence in camp in the coming days; I urge you to avail yourselves of this opportunity and acquire useful skills to avoid joining the ranks of unemployed graduates scouting for unavailable white-collar jobs,” he said.
The NYSC boss assured the corps members of adequate implementation of Covid-19 prevention measures in all camps nationwide.
According to Ibrahim, these measures have been put in place in collaboration with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Presidential Steering Committee on Covid-19.
The measures include consistent testing of prospective corps members, course officials and visitors for the virus before admission to camp.
“We are also enforcing physical distancing and wearing of face masks, while handwashing points are located at strategic places.
“I, therefore, call on all members of the camp community to ensure strict compliance with all the prevention protocols throughout the orientation period.
“I also encourage you to present yourselves for the Covid-19 vaccination whenever it is made available in or out of the orientation camp.
“I particularly appreciate the NCDC for the continuous provision of Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) kits and sensitisation materials for usage in all orientation camps since the post-lockdown resumption of orientation course in November, 2020,” he said.
In an interview, the NYSC FCT coordinator said that the camp received adequate supply of RDT kits for testing of Prospective Corps Members (PCMs), camp officials, and others before entry into the camp.
Abdul, however, noted that a marketer, who sells goods at the camp, tested positive for the virus and was immediately handed over to the NCDC for medical assistance.
“The Covid-19 RDT kits given to the NYSC FCT orientation camp were enough to undertake the testing of everyone that entered the camp during the camp registration process.
“An individual, who sells goods in the camp, tested positive for the virus during the process and was handed over to the NCDC for further medical attention. That is the only recorded case we had,” he said.
The coordinator assured corps members that the scheme would continue to do its best to ensure that the camps remained safe for all.
“There are handwashing taps located around the camp to encourage corps members to regularly wash their hands; the use of face mask is also enforced.
“Some corps members have been selected to help enforce the Covid-19 measures. If you check around the camp, you will see them wearing reflective jackets; they are the vanguards of this task,” he said.
About 1,309 PCMs deployed to undergo the mandatory one-year national youth service in the FCT took the oath of allegiance.
The PCMs were sworn in by the acting Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, Justice Husseini Baba-Yusuf, who was represented by Justice Suleiman Balgore.
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, had lauded the courage and commitment of troops of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in North East Nigeria.
Abubakar gave the commendation during a morale-boosting visit to the Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI in Maiduguri, Borno.
This is contained in a statement by the Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, yesterday, in Abuja.
The CAS said their sacrifices were etched in the history of the nation, and in the hearts of millions of Nigerians who sleep safer because of the troops’ vigilance.
He emphasised that their bravery and resilience in the face of adversity have not gone unnoticed, saying his visit underscored the vital role airpower plays in neutralising threats and protecting communities.
Abubakar pledged continued investment in cutting-edge technology to empower frontline units.
According to him, the NAF remains steadfast in its mission, guided by leadership, strengthened by unity, and driven by the selfless service of its personnel.
The visit comes at a critical moment, reinforcing the importance of public support for military operations and spotlighting the human element at the heart of national defence.
Nigeria’s soft drinks and beverage market continues to show strong growth potential, making it the leading consumer of soft drinks in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association.
A statement by the VDMA disclosed during a press conference held in Lagos ahead of drinktec 2025, that Nigeria consumed over 53 billion litres of soft drinks in 2024, placing it well ahead of other African countries such as Ghana and South Africa.
Despite challenges such as inflation and a weakening naira, Nigeria’s growing population, rising urbanisation, and expanding middle class are key factors driving demand in the beverage sector.
Bottled water led the segment with 48.7 billion litres sold in 2024, a figure projected to rise by 27% to 62 billion litres by 2028.
Carbonated soft drinks followed with 3.4 billion litres, expected to reach 4.4 billion litres by 2028, while energy drinks are forecasted to grow by 30% over the same period. Juices, though relatively small, are also on an upward trajectory.
“The Nigerian beverage market is expanding quickly due to increasing accessibility and affordability,” VDMA stated, citing data from Euromonitor International.
Set to take place in Munich from 15 to 19 September 2025, drinktec is the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry.
VDMA, a key exhibitor and technical partner for the event, revealed that Nigerian participation is expected to be strong, especially as the country anticipates economic recovery.
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has condemned the recent ban placed on a song by Nigerian musician, Eedris Abdulkareem, describing the development as a return to the culture of censorship and a threat to the right to free expression.
Abdulkareem had waxed a song titled “Tell Your Papa” which criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement issued from New York University, Abu Dhabi, yesterday, Soyinka criticised the action and its wider implications, saying it echoed past attempts to stifle artistic and socio-political commentary in Nigeria.
“Courtesy of an artist operating in a different genre – the cartoon – who sent me his recent graphic comment on the event, I learnt recently of a return to the culture of censorship with the banning of the product of a music artist, Eedris Abdulkareem,” Soyinka said in the piece posted on PM news.
He expressed irony in suggesting that the ban did not go far enough, stating, “It is not only the allegedly offensive record that should be banned – the musician himself should be proscribed. Next, PMAN, or whatever musical association of which Abdulkareem is member, should also go under the hammer.”
Soyinka noted that he had not listened to the banned song but stressed that the issue transcends content and concerns a fundamental democratic principle.
“It cannot be flouted. That, surely is basic. This is why I feel that we should look on the bright side of any picture and thus recommend the Aleshinloye cartoon – and others in allied vein – as an easy-to-apprehend, easy-to-digest summation of the wisdom of attempting to stifle unpalatable works of art or socio-political commentary,” he said.
He also pointed out the irony that censorship often benefits the targeted artist.
The ban is a boost to the artist’s nest egg, thanks to free governmental promotion. Mr. Abdulkareem must be currently warbling his merry way all the way to the bank. I envy him,” he added.
The literary icon warned that such censorship was not only counterproductive but also dangerous to democratic development.
“We have been through this before, over and over again, ad nauseum. We know where it all ends. It is boring, time-wasting, diversionary but most essential of all, subversive of all seizures of the fundamental right of free expression,” Soyinka said.
He warned that the ban creates “a permissive atmosphere of trickle-down power,” where state authorities feel emboldened to clamp down on dissent.
Soyinka’s statement also touched on broader issues of impunity and mob violence in Nigeria, lamenting the recent lynching of 19 youths in Edo State.
“My heart goes out to friends, colleagues and families of victims and traumatised survivors of this senseless slaughter. Our thirst for justice must remain unslaked,” he said.
Referencing the 2022 killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto, Soyinka criticised the culture of impunity, saying, “Identified killers were set free to gloat, and paste their photos on the Social Media… in full daylight glare, in the presence of both citizen voyeurs and security forces.”
He called for accountability, warning that “as long as the culture of impunity is given the sheerest strain of legitimacy in any given cause, such gruesome assaults on our common humanity will continue to prevail.”
Soyinka concluded by urging the relevant regulatory body to reverse what he described as a “petulant irrationality,” warning that any government that only tolerates praise-singers “has already commenced a downhill slide into the abyss.”